Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries

James Harper
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Jan 29, 2024 • 38min

Coffee Roasting, Part 1: How heat transforms coffee beans

What flavours do you want from your coffee? Every coffee bean begins its life green. And if you brewed it up without first roasting it, you’d get a yellow-green cup of grass-flavoured water. But, as soon you apply heat to a bean, the flavour can morph to from something quite vegetative to a very acidic unripe fruit, then a very sweet fruit, and eventually dark roasted flavours. This is the magic of coffee roasting! In this episode of The Science of Coffee, I show you a full roast in action on the ROEST P3000, taste how coffee flavours evolve from acidic to bitter, and speak to leading coffee roasting scientists to reveal the mind-bending chemical and physical transformations taking place. See for yourself Roest's innovative P3000 fully automatic roaster. Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee! Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story Write a review on Apple Podcasts Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify Connect with my very knowledgeable guests Mark Al-Shemmeri - LinkedIn Callum Gilmour - LinkedIn Veronica Balduc - LinkedIn Anja Rahn - LinkedInIldi Revi - LinkedIn Samo Smrke - Instagram Morten Münchow - Coffee Mind website The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations BWT Water and More Marco Beverage Systems ROEST Sustainable Harvest Mahlkönig The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories
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Jan 15, 2024 • 39min

Smell and Taste, Part 2: Are you and me tasting the same flavours?

Discover why people's taste perceptions vary even when tasting the same coffee. Dive into topics like the impact of music on taste, influence of coffee cup shape, and genetic/environmental factors affecting flavor experiences. Uncover the complexities of flavor descriptions and individual preferences in the world of coffee.
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Jan 8, 2024 • 45min

Smell and Taste, Part 1: How to be a better coffee taster

Discover the fascinating link between smell and taste in coffee, revealing how flavor perception happens behind the eyes! Learn why specialty coffee can taste sweet without sugar and how aroma shapes our appreciation of this beloved beverage. Explore the intricacies of the tongue's taste receptors and practical tips for tasting enhancement. Join tasting expert Mandy Naglich as she shares techniques to sharpen your coffee skills, transforming your coffee experiences into delightful adventures!
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Jan 2, 2024 • 2min

Introducing: Season 2 of The Science of Coffee

We're back with another series of The Science of Coffee! Across 10 science stories, narrative audio producer and coffee professional James Harper takes you on a journey into coffee's hidden microscopic secrets. James has spent the last year traveling to Central America, Greece, Norway, Switzerland and interviewing dozens of the world’s leading coffee scientists. This insights will help you appreciate coffee more deeply and make even better coffee at home. We'll explore organic coffee growing, delve into the science of roasting, uncover optimal storage and grinding techniques, enhance your tasting skills through sensory science, and share James' journey towards thinking more like a scientist. Press the Subscribe button so you don't miss future episodes! https://bit.ly/3TdDnHO Follow James on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2Mlkk0O The Science of Coffee is a spin-off series from James Harper's documentary podcast Filter Stories: https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations: BWT Water and More Mahlkönig Marco Beverage Systems Sustainable Harvest ROEST
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May 29, 2023 • 44min

4) Just Friends? America’s love affair with coffee

America is coffee-obsessed. From Central Perk’s red couch being the centre of major plot twists in Friends to the fact the average American drank more than two cups a day. And the conventional explanation is pretty straightforward: an English colonist introduces coffee to Jamestown in 1607. 150 years later Americans rebel against the British by throwing tea chests into Boston harbour and drinking coffee becomes their patriotic duty. Oh, and of course who won the civil war? The side that had the coffee. But, actually, the truth is much more surprising, and reveals a much more counter-intuitive story of America. In this final episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we offer you a story of America through the lens of a black drink, another black drink, a third black drink and perhaps even a fourth. A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player. ----------- Please spread the word about A History of Coffee! Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) and James (@filterstoriespodcast) - and tag us in an Instagram story. Write a review on Apple Podcasts (http://apple.co/3jY42aJ) Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ) This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio, manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years (https://bit.ly/3U3oLMz) Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU) Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ Filter Stories podcast (https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e) Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘A History of Coffee’ podcast channel (http://bit.ly/2NArChO) Learn how Brazil massively expanded output in episode three of the first series of A History of Coffee: Coffee Catches Fire (https://bit.ly/2NArChO) Brew up some Yaupon Holly! (https://bit.ly/40R6IuY) Discover Deb Hunter's All Things Tudor podcast (https://bit.ly/3L5OZet)
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May 15, 2023 • 45min

3) Espresso Lungo: The slow road to Italy’s democratic espresso culture

One morning back in the ‘80s, Howard Schultz walks out of his Milan hotel, stumbles into an espresso bar, and fundamentally changes coffee history. He discovered (and then popularises) the iconic, timeless Italian coffee experience: Rich thick coffee, an affordable price and great theatre. But this Italian ritual is surprisingly young, so young that Howard Schultz was in school while some of it was being developed! In this third episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you why for most of Italy’s history, coffee was thin, expensive, dull to watch…and that’s if you were lucky enough to even be drinking the real stuff at all! A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. ----------- Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player Please spread the word about A History of Coffee! Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) and James (@filterstoriespodcast) - and tag us in an Instagram story. Write a review on Apple Podcasts (http://apple.co/3jY42aJ) Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ) This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio, manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years (https://bit.ly/3U3oLMz) Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU) Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ Filter Stories podcast (https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e) Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘A History of Coffee’ podcast channel (http://bit.ly/2NArChO) Go deeper into the story of espresso machines: James' science podcast about Espresso Machine Technology Neapolitan coffee maker (https://bit.ly/3zZCivl) Espresso at 1906 World’s Fair in Milan (https://bit.ly/3MOX7kQ) Rancilio's Museum, Officina Rancilio 1926 (https://bit.ly/3Q7vqTI) "La Cornuta" espresso machine (https://bit.ly/41uBryd) Rancilio's Berlin Showroom, the BER Rancilio Station (https://bit.ly/3mD0lNA)
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May 1, 2023 • 48min

2) A Lasting Stain: Haiti, Colonialism and Coffee

Haiti was once the biggest, most profitable coffee growing region in the world. But today Haiti is one of the world’s poorest nations where you can’t get a bag of Haitian beans delivered to Berlin in a week for love nor money. In this second episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you how colonialism and racism dragged Haiti into poverty, and the role of coffee at the centre of it. Be warned: this episode contains graphic descriptions of violence. A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. ----------- Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player Please spread the word about A History of Coffee! Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) and James (@filterstoriespodcast) - and tag us in an Instagram story. Write a review on Apple Podcasts (http://apple.co/3jY42aJ) Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ) This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio, manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years (https://bit.ly/3U3oLMz) Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU) Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ Filter Stories podcast (https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e) Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘A History of Coffee’ podcast channel (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)
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Apr 17, 2023 • 45min

1) It’s Just Coffee? How coffee houses changed the world

A coffee shop is a lot more than just a place to drink coffee. The seats and sofas encourage you to invite a friend, and chat. And chatting is powerful: ideas that emerge from these caffeine-fuelled conversations give birth to modern finance and even the founding of great artistic and scientific institutions. Meanwhile, other ideas threaten those in power, and have led to many attempts to ban coffeeshops (and even coffee itself!) these last 500 years. In the first episode of Series Two of A History of Coffee, we show you how the coffee shop changed the world, and we ask whether it still has what it takes to upend society. A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. ----------- Don't miss future episodes by pressing the 'Subscribe' or 'Follow' button in your podcast player Please spread the word about A History of Coffee! Follow us on Instagram - Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) and James (@filterstoriespodcast) - and tag us in an Instagram story. Write a review on Apple Podcasts (http://apple.co/3jY42aJ) Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify (https://spoti.fi/3K2h4RQ) This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Rancilio, manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for your home and coffee bar for almost 100 years (https://bit.ly/3U3oLMz) Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ (https://amzn.to/3dihAfU) Listen to other coffee documentaries on James’ Filter Stories podcast (https://bit.ly/3ajoT5e) Download all episodes of this second series right now by subscribing to the ‘A History of Coffee’ podcast channel (http://bit.ly/2NArChO)
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Apr 3, 2023 • 5min

Introducing: Series Two of A History of Coffee

We're back with more stories about the tiny psychoactive seed that changed the world and continues to shape our lives today. In Series Two, we reveal how the invention of the coffee shop revolutionised societies, why colonialism, racism and coffee have kept once prosperous Haiti poor today, how Italy's revered espresso culture was created, and we debunk many myths around America's supposed love affair with coffee. If we want to make coffee a more equitable industry that’s also kinder to the environment, a place to start is understanding the stories and systems that put the coffee into your cup this morning. Press the ‘Subscribe’ button so you don’t miss future episodes. Listen to all the episodes at once on the A History of Coffee podcast channel. A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. Follow us on Instagram! Jonathan Morris @coffeehistoryjm and James Harper @filterstoriespodcast. This free educational content was made possible with the support of Rancilio, manufacturers of professional Italian espresso machines for almost 100 years. Join us live at the London Coffee Festival 2023! We have three time slots for you to choose from: Saturday, 22 April, 11:00-11:30 and 14:30-15:00, and Sunday, 23 April,14:30-15:00.
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Jan 31, 2023 • 54min

6) Sonic Seasoning

Imagine you’ve got a cup of coffee in front of you. You haven’t tasted it yet. You therefore don’t know what it tastes like, right? Wrong. Some scientists argue that you actually do know what it will taste like (more or less), and the act of tasting simply confirms what you have already imagined it will taste like. And that’s because a growing body of research is revealing that sight, sound and touch all affect your expectation of a coffee’s flavours. In this episode, I explore how certain sounds might make your coffee taste sweeter, while other sounds translate to bitterness. And I expose how some cafe owners might be ruining the flavours of the high-end specialty coffee you paid for without even realising it. In the second half, I show you why so many of our scientific questions about coffee are going unanswered. I take you deep into the future of coffee science by explaining who’s doing research into coffee science, why they’re doing it, how much it costs and how you can get involved. ---------- Please spread the word about The Science of Coffee! Follow me on Instagram and tag me in an Instagram story Write a review on Apple Podcasts Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify Explore the technology behind Fiorenzato’s AllGround home coffee grinder Get more involved in coffee science! Buy Brita Folmer’s The Craft & Science of Coffee Read the Specialty Coffee Association's 25 Magazine for cutting edge insights into coffee science, business and sustainability, including Charles Spence’s article on sonic seasoning Partner with the Coffee Science Foundation Explore Felipe Reinoso Carvalho’s sonic research, including Diego Campos’ winning World Barista Championship routine Apply to study at the UC Davis Coffee Centre Do an online course with ZHAW’s Coffee Excellence Centre Subscribe to Barista Hustle and complete their online coffee courses Become a member of the Barista Guild, Coffee Roaster’s Guild, Coffee Technicians Guild and attend their events! Connect with my very knowledgeable guests Charles Spence - Academic profile Fabiana Carvalho - Instagram Janice Wang - LinkedIn Felipe Reinoso Carvalho - LinkedIn Chahan Yeretzian - LinkedIn Bill Ristenpart - Academic profile Peter Giuliano - LinkedIn Jenn Rugolo - LinkedIn Giulia Bagato - LinkedIn Denis Girardi - LinkedIn The Science of Coffee is made possible by these leading coffee organisations BWT Water and More Marco Beverage Systems Trabocca Eversys Oatly Fiorenzato

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